Pakistan wants peaceful solution to Ukrainian conflict, says Bilawal
A week after Pakistan and Russia signed an agreement on the supply of Russian crude oil and oil products, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that his country would “cooperate fully” to meet the energy needs of Pakistan.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Pakistani counterpart, the Russian FM commended Pakistan for maintaining a neutral position in the Russian-Ukraine war and said that the two countries would continue to cooperate in various fields.
During the joint press conference after the talks on Monday, the two ministers said that the countries would continue to cooperate and work together.
Speaking at the conference, Bilawal said that the two had a “fruitful” discussion regarding the energy sector, stressing that both countries wanted to enhance bilateral relations.
He also underscored the devastation caused to Pakistan’s economy and infrastructure by floods last year that affected millions of people in the country, adding “relations between Pakistan and Russia are important for bilateral and regional stability”.
“Pakistan attaches great importance to relations with Russia and wants to further promote relations with Moscow,” Bilawal said, adding that the talks had proved fruitful and the nations would continue to talk on matters in all fields “in a friendly atmosphere”.
Moreover, his Russian counterpart too asserted that the cooperation between the two countries in various fields would continue and that Russia would “cooperate fully” to meet Pakistan’s energy needs. He congratulated both states on the successful completion of the 8th inter-governmental meeting, which ended on January 20 and during which Russia and Pakistan agreed on late March as the timeline for crude oil export. The two foreign ministers also discussed regional and international developments. Bilawal said that Pakistan wanted a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict, while the Russian FM said that Pakistan’s neutral position regarding the matter was commendable.